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Hackney pupils celebrate beating personal bests

Thousands of Hackney schoolchildren have been proving you don’t need to compete against others to be a winner.

More than 3,000 pupils from across the borough have spent months working to improve their results in a range of athletic games, including long jump, triple jump, soft javelin and shot put, and 60-metre sprint.

Personal Bests, a Hackney Council Olympic Games legacy mission, now in its seventh year, aims to improve health and wellbeing in youngsters - and prove that sport is for everyone no matter what their ability.

This year, more than 500 pupils from 42 schools in the borough took to Hackney Marshes on Tuesday in the Personal Bests finals.

Special guest, Hackney Paralympian hero Dervis Konuralp, officially opened the day of games last week.

Swimmer Dervis represented Great Britain at four Paralympic Games and as a teenager he represented Hackney at the London Youth Games. He said: “It’s great to see the Olympic legacy in Hackney is still going strong.

“Personal Bests shows sport can and should be enjoyed by everyone.”

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The number of pupils taking part in Personal Bests just keeps growing and growing and I want to congratulate all those who have taken part.

Personal Bests is about recognising and rewarding those who have done their utmost to improve themselves - many of whom may never have had the opportunity to compete before.

The message is an important one: do your best in what you do and no one can ask any more of you.

Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney

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Grasmere Primary School took first place after its pupils gained the most personal bests, Queensbridge Primary School came second , and third place went to Mandeville Primary School.

Year 5 Grasmere pupil Charlie said: “This changed my mind about sport: before I wasn’t sporty because normally people shout at you if are not very good."At Personal Bests you are encouraged to do your best. I really enjoyed beating my Personal Bests.”

Year 5 Grasmere pupil Marie said: “It was the first time I’ve competed against another school. I really liked working as a team rather than on my own. It was really fun.”